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Journal articles
Preliminary Evaluation of the Pattern Cutting and the Ligating Loop Virtual Laparoscopic Trainers
Abstract : Introduction: The Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) trainer is currently the standard for training and evaluating basic laparoscopic skills. However, its manual scoring system is time-consuming and subjective. The Virtual Basic Laparoscopic Skill Trainer (VBLaST©) is the virtual version of the FLS trainer which allows automatic and real time assessment of skill performance, as well as force feedback. In this study, the VBLaST© pattern cutting (VBLaST-PC©) and ligating loop (VBLaST-LL©) tasks were evaluated as part of a validation study. We hypothesized that performance would be similar on the FLS and VBLaST© trainers, and that subjects with more experience would perform better than those with less experience on both trainers. Methods: Fifty-five subjects with varying surgical experience were recruited at the Learning Center during the 2013 SAGES annual meeting and were divided into two groups: experts (PGY 5, surgical fellows and surgical attendings) and novices (PGY 1-4). They were asked to perform the pattern cutting or the ligating loop task on the FLS and the VBLaST© trainers. Their performance scores for each trainer were calculated and compared. Results: There were no significant differences between the FLS and VBLaST© scores for either the pattern cutting or the ligating loop task. Experts' scores were significantly higher than the scores for novices on both trainers. Conclusion: This study showed that the subjects' performance on the VBLaST© trainer was similar to the FLS performance for both tasks. Both the VBLaST-PC© and the VBLaST-LL© tasks permitted discrimination between the novice and expert groups. Although concurrent and discriminant validity has been established, further studies to establish convergent and predictive validity are needed. Once validated as a training system for laparoscopic skills, the system is expected to overcome the current limitations of the FLS trainer.
Cited literature [25 references]
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01030809
Contributor : Amine Chellali <>
Submitted on : Monday, September 1, 2014 - 11:31:00 AM
Last modification on : Saturday, May 1, 2021 - 3:50:41 AM
Long-term archiving on: : Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - 10:06:01 AM
Contributor : Amine Chellali <>
Submitted on : Monday, September 1, 2014 - 11:31:00 AM
Last modification on : Saturday, May 1, 2021 - 3:50:41 AM
Long-term archiving on: : Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - 10:06:01 AM
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